The Shootout
by almightyshishkabob
Summary: Castle gets shot while out with Beckett and the Boys. The aftermath of the incident and the realizations that Castle and Beckett have to come to. This story is set around Fool Me Once in the second Season. This is my first ever FF. I do not own characters


SONG: Savin' me, Nickelback

Part 1

"Rick!" she screamed as he crumpled to the ground. She ran as fast as she could to him, presumably on instinct since she had no feeling left in her legs. His hands were pressed on the wound as he tried to stop the bleeding. But blood stained his light blue shirt at his abdomen. Ryan and Espisito had gone after the asshole who had shot him and Kate thought about them a second. Praying they were alright. Castle's breathing started to slow and his grip slackened. The wound started to bleed profusely. Kate shoved his hands away and replaced them with her own. She faintly heard bystanders talking of an ambulance on its way as the panic and reality of the situation began to settle in on her.

SONG: I'll be there for you, Bon Jovi

He had stopped moaning and his eyes were closing ever so slowly. "I CAN'T LOSE YOU." She yelled through gritted teeth. "STAY AWAKE YOU STUBBORN GOOD FOR NOTHING, amazing MAN" Castle winced as a slight smile came to his lips. Then sirens, then nothing.

Part 2

Esposito and Ryan were pursuing Smithfield in their sedan. Each quiet and lost in their thoughts. Up ahead Javier saw back up, a blockade. They had the son of a bitch. The guy tried to bolt, but Esposito and Ryan grabbed him and slammed him into the nearest cruiser. Ryan read him his Miranda's rights and they threw him into the car and back to the precinct. The boys didn't talk all the way there. Ryan was the new guy and had never witnessed a colleague getting shot before, he was shaken up. As much as Javier wanted to be the reassuring big brother he knew Ryan needed, he kept flashing back to the day he lost his partner, in a shoot out. Just like Castle. "He's not dead Jav, he is going to be okay, he's strong." Ryan smirked his little half smile to try to reassure his best friend. They had never talked about Jav's partner's shooting, but Beckett and Montgomery had both given him the facts when he had started and had been assigned as his partner. Truth was Ryan was scared Castle might be dead. He could still hear Beckett's scream in the back of his mind, they had to go though, Smithfield was getting away. At the 12th they put Smithfield in a holding cell and searched for the Captain for news. He had already left for the hospital. Lanie called out to them, "Oie! Boys, let's go NOW!"

Part 3

Kate had been holding his hand since the sidewalk and she was covered in blood, but refused to let go, shouting at anyone who tried to break the connection that she "wasn't letting go." When they arrived at the hospital Ray Montgomery was already waiting. He had broken about 30 different laws to get there, but he had seen cops get shot before and he needed to be there for his people and their partners. She was holding his hand and yelling as they wheeled Castle into the Emergency. Seeing that the doctors needed to work, Roy grabbed Beckett who tried to resist, then took a swing at him before crumpling down to the floor. He saw Castle's blood all over her hands and left forearm before noticing her right shoulder. "You're bleeding, Kate. Doctor! Nurse! Someone HELP!" "The bullet just grazed me sir, I'm fine. I want to go to Castle. He's hit sir." She tried to run, but Montgomery caught her and pulled her into a hug. Making sure to mind her shoulder, but Kate proved to be a difficult patient, she kept trying to run, even after Montgomery ordered her to settle down.

Once Lanie, Javier and Ryan arrived, Montgomery ordered Lanie and Javier to stay with her while the nurse fixed her up and took Ryan with him to check on Castle. "Are you okay son?" he asked Ryan once they were out of earshot. "I don't want Castle to die sir." "I know." The doctor was still working on Castle and no one could give them any information, but he was still alive. Ryan wanted to do something; he couldn't just sit there and wait so he asked permission to get Martha and Alexis and took off. Seconds after he left, Kate came barrelling down the corridor with fire in her eyes. "Where is he, Roy?" "He's in there, but they are still working…" "He did not finish as she pushed past him and through the double doors clearly marked 'DO NOT ENTER' and marched into the first room she saw.

An old man lay on the bed. She pulled a quick about-turn and tried three more patient rooms before finally finding him. He was not moving and he had tubes all over as several people in scrubs worked and talked. A nurse spotted her and walked over. "I am sorry ma'm but you can't be in here right now. Are you his wife?" "Yes! I am his work wife and I am not leaving. I want to know what's going on." The nursed glanced at the scrubbed people who gave her a quick nod, and then she said to the detective, "If you'll just follow me into the hall, I will bring you up to speed on his condition….Please m'am." Kate followed her reluctantly and was quite annoyed when the red haired nurse and shut the door. "Your husband had a gun shot wound to the abdomen." "I know I was there." she said impatiently. "It was deep, it ruptured his spleen and the bullet was lodged in his pylorus. Doctor Jacobs had to remove the bullet and patch him back up, but lost a lot of blood." "Do you have the bullet?" Kate blurted out knowing it would be important for ballistics and that Castle would want to show it off if….when he got better.

The nurse, a bit taken aback by the request replied, "Yes…we can get it to you very soon. As I was saying, your husband lost a lot of blood, not to mention the extensive damage to his pylorus and spleen. But he is a fighter, he will probably sleep almost all the time for the next few days and he is not out of the woods yet, but his prognosis is very good and we expect a close to full recovery."

Kate breathed for what felt like the first time in hours. And then she started to cry. The stress of the day's events seemed to explode.

Part 4

A blonde woman came out of the operating room in scrubs and said to the detective. "Kate? He's asking for you. Please follow me." Castle was lying on the bed, tubes everywhere and as white as a ghost. He smiled faintly as she approached him. His voice was nothing more then a whisper, but he hadn't lost his charm. "Why detective Beckett, are those tears in your eyes for me? I'm touched." "Oh shut it Castle, how are you feeling?" "Well it all hurts, why? Do you want to kiss it all better?" "You wish Castle." His sense of humour was contagious.


End file.
